The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of hardy garden pink or carnation that is grown for use as a flowering plant for pots and containers and for planting in the garden and landscape. The new cultivar is known botanically as Dianthus×hybrida and will be referred to hereinafter by the cultivar name ‘WP10 XAV04’.
‘WP10 XAV04’ is a complex hybrid plant that is the product of a long term breeding program conducted by the inventor in a cultivated area of Houndspool, Dawlish, Devon, United Kingdom. The inventor selected ‘WP10 XAV04’ in 2004 for its fragrant pink fully double flowers, ruffled petal edges and silver-gray foliage.
‘WP10 XAV04’ resulted from the controlled cross pollination between two earlier selections of Dianthus from the inventor's breeding program, namely Dianthus ‘Devon Flavia’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 15,903) as female parent and Selection ‘FLA 02.13’ (unpatented and unreleased) as male parent.
‘WP10 XAV04’ is distinguishable from the female parent as follows: Whereas the flower of ‘WP10 XAV04’ is pink, fully double with ruffled petal edges, the flower of ‘Devon Flavia’ is lighter pink with a rose eye, semi-double with more fimbriated petals. In addition the foliage of the ‘Devon Flavia’ is blue-green in color, while the foliage of ‘WP10 XAV04’ is silver-gray in color.
‘WP10 XAV04’ is distinguishable from the male parent as follows: Whereas ‘WP10 XAV04’ has a compact mounding habit, the habit of the male parent is considerably taller and looser.
The variety of Dianthus which is considered by the inventor to most closely resemble ‘WP10 XAV04’ is the inventor's variety Dianthus ‘WP08 NIK03’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,418). The flowers of ‘WP08 NIK03’ are similar in size and shape but are magenta in color rather than the mid pink color of ‘WP10 XAV04’. The foliage of ‘WP08 NIK03’ is gray-green in color, while the foliage of ‘WP10 XAV04’ is silver-gray. In addition, at nine months of age, the height of a plant of ‘WP08 NIK03’ is approximately half of the height of a plant of ‘WP10 XAV04’.
Asexual reproduction of ‘WP10 XAV04’ was first accomplished by the inventor in 2004 in a cultivated area of Houndspool, United Kingdom. The method of asexual propagation used was vegetative cuttings. The inventor has determined that ‘WP10 XAV04’ is stable and reproduces true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.